Senators want state to declare drought a national disaster

A man looks at the carcass of a cow in Kajiado. [File, Standard]

Senators from arid and semi-arid (Asal) regions have asked the National government to carry out an emergency assessment in counties affected by drought in order to design appropriate response strategies and plans to save lives of residents.

Mandera Senator Ali Roba who spoke on behalf of 14 senators from Asal regions on the sidelines of their retreat in Mombasa called on the government to declare drought a national disaster and urgently supply relief food to affected populations in line with the United Nations standard portions per head per household.